11 #2
As they went to the exchanger, Jude’s excitement doubled.
He was like a child, his eyes sparkling at the wide array of prizes displayed before them, all waiting to be claimed depending on how many tickets they had earned.
Based on their total, he figured they could afford some of the bigger rewards, but he could not just pick whatever he wanted.
After all, Jasper had contributed far more to earning the tickets than he had.
Jude looked at the human-sized teddy bear, and he felt like it was pouting at him with a bead of sweat at the side of its forehead.
“Can we get that huge teddy bear in Blue?” Jasper suddenly asked the employee, pointing at the bear Jude had been eyeing.
Jude looked up at him in confusion, and Jasper smiled down at him.
“Okay, here you go…”
The worker handed Jasper the large bear, and Jude could not help but wonder what it would feel like to hug it.
“Can I hug him, Jasper?” he innocently voiced his intrusive thoughts.
Jude thought the bear looked so soft, and he blinked twice when the pout of the teddy bear earlier was now being replaced with a gentle smile.
“Yeah, of course…” Jasper said as he handed him the stuffed toy.
It felt like he was hugging a fluffy cloud. He closed his eyes, completely relaxed in the embrace.
“It’s yours,” Jasper added.
Jude shot his eyes open in surprise.
“What?!”
“I said you can have that bear, Jude,” he clarified.
“What? No. It’s yours, Jasper. You earned more tickets than me. I can’t accept this,” Jude respectfully declined.
“Do you like him?” asked Jasper.
“Who?” he wondered.
“That teddy bear.” Jasper threw a glance at the bear and looked back at him in the eyes.
“Yeah, he’s so cute,” Jude said, while looking at the teddy bear with eyes full of adoration.
“Then take care of him. I can’t share my bed with that huge thing,” he said and stepped forward. “Plus, I have asthma. So no, no, no,” he whispered before he walked past him.
Jude faltered on his feet in disbelief.
Jude had never really received any gifts before, and what Jasper did today left him teary-eyed and deeply moved. His chest felt warm, almost overflowing with emotion. He pressed a hand over his chest and felt his heart beating faster than usual.
Only then did he realize that, for the past few hours, Jasper had been the one making him feel this way: lightheaded, giddy, and overwhelmed in the best way.
Why are you doing this to me, Jasper? he thought.
“Hey, come on,” Jasper broke his thoughts as he waved his hand to come over.
Jude followed him while struggling to carry the big bear on his back.
“Can I name him Jasper?” Jude suggested when he finally caught up.
“Yeah, you can name him whatever you want,” he answered. “It’s yours.”
“Okay, I’ll name him little Jas, short for Jasper.”
Jasper ruffled his hair while smiling down at him.
“I can’t understand why people bully you a lot. You’re too cute,” he casually said.
He never expected that the famous Jasper Granger would make him feel this way. My heart…I could not. I could not take it anymore.
Jasper carried the human-sized bear for Jude while going to watch the newly released Harry Potter franchise.
Meanwhile, Jude walked beside him, endlessly talking about what he might do with it, saying that he could even use it as a practice patient for injections and demos when he got into medical school, make it his pillow, or his best friend.
He went on excitedly about how happy he was, since it was his first time receiving gifts, and especially ones that were exactly what he had always wanted.
Jasper, on the side, was happy for him, blabbing random things, and he was just there listening.
When Jude was done, Jasper shared as well that Harry Potter was one of his favorite series of all time.
He also shared that he wanted to become an author in the fantasy genre and already had several story drafts saved on his desktop.
Jude felt glad to hear that. It meant Jasper did not mind opening up to him.
He had learned something new about him, something he was sure to scribble down in his little diary once he got home.
In the cinema, Jude kept stealing secret glances at Jasper, who was fully absorbed in the film.
The setting reminded him of the romantic movies he often watched, where the male lead would eventually find a way to hold his beloved’s hand.
A part of Jude found himself quietly hoping Jasper would do the same.
But their hands never met.
Jude thought maybe because they were not watching romance.
When the movie ended, Jasper said it was worth watching and praised the cast for doing a great job; his happiness and admiration were clearly written on his face. Jude, as always, just smiled, bobbed his head, and agreed with everything he said.
Nonetheless, Jude could not begin to measure the happiness he felt being with Jasper at that moment.
The sickle moon and the stars themselves seemed to know how happy he was that day, and he owed it all to the man he adored most for the past five years.
That day, he realized what it truly felt like to step out of his own cocoon, a thing he once thought was vaguely possible, and it was all because of the man of his dreams.
Jude faltered on his feet as he looked at Jasper: I think I am falling truly and deeply in love, and at some point, it scares me.